This invention relates to an orthopedic shoe. More specifically, the invention is concerned with an orthopedic shoe having a tip which is automatically erected when the wearer's foot is raised from the ground so as to be brought forward and to permit walking.
It is well known that during locomotion, the lower limbs of a human body are both active. During locomotion, one limb is used to support the body on the ground and carries the weight of the body and pushes its center of gravity forward and upward, and the other limb becomes shorter so as to execute a swinging movement and to be brought forward of the one limb; and, during such movement the flexor muscles of the thigh and the muscle groups cooperate with each other and particularly act on the foot for its extension. When such extension is lacking or insufficient, such as for example in hemiplegics, paraplegics, spastics and persons with flaccid paralysis or other infirmities or malformations of the lower limbs, a dragging of the tip of the foot on the ground which causes frequent falls then occurs during forward motion of the limbs.
It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an orthopedic device to assist those who have difficulty in walking.
More specifically, the invention provides for an orthopedic shoe having the orthopedic device which assists in bringing about the automatic erection of the tip of the shoe when the wearer's foot is relieved of the weight of the body and must, during locomotion, be brought forward. This is obtained by means of a strong, flexible and elastic plate underlying the sole. The part of the plate nearest the tip of the shoe is fixed to the sole and the part farthest away is free of the sole and is connected to a member which is concealed in the heel and which pushes the plate toward the tip of the shoe.
One of the advantages of the invention is that the tip of the shoe is automatically raised whenever the shoe is relieved of the weight of the body of the wearer. Further, such raising may involve the entire width of the sole or primarily only one half depending on the infirmity of the wearer's foot; and, such raising also can bring about a torsion of the sole, which raising is of great usefulness in cases of talipes, equinus, varus and supinate.
The orthopedic shoe according to the invention is provided with an automatically erectile tip when the wearer's foot is raised from the ground in order to be brought forward and to permit walking. According to the invention, the erection of the tip is obtained as a result of the effect of a force which turns the tip downward and which force is exerted on the free end of a thin, flexible and elastic metal plate positioned underneath the sole or a conventional inner sole. The part of the plate nearest to the tip of the shoe is fastened to the inner sole and the part farthest away from the tip or front of the inner sole is free, and the end of the plate is turned or directed toward the heel and is connected to a thrust member which is concealed in the heel.
The portion of plate 2 which is fastened to the sole 1 has a width such as to affect either entirely or partly the width of the sole and is applied to the sole in a central or lateral position.
The face of the metal plate is turned downward towards an undersole or outer sole which conventionally is in contact with the ground and is fastened to cover the plate and to provide for an anti-skid surface relative to a walking surface.
The thrust member includes a compression spring which is housed in the heel of the shoe and is connected with a thrust bar or rod which imparts movement to the metal plate and therefore imparts movement to the front or toe portion of the shoe. The rod may be suitably concealed under the arch of the shoe, and the axis of the spring and the rod may be in a plane extending either in the longitudinal axis of the shoe or an axis parallel or oblique thereto.
Other objects, advantages and the nature of the invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.